The present invention relates to a flow system, and more particularly to a wire flow rack.
A variety of flow systems exist for handling parts and products in manufacturing, distribution, and retail facilities. Many of these systems transfer items from one location to another under the force of gravity. For example, such systems include inclined shelves having rollers that enable product to be loaded from one side and “flow” via gravity to another side of the system to provide easy access to the product by a laborer or a machine.
One conventional flow rack system, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,102 to Dawson, includes a bed of rollers, with groups of several rollers being supported on a single shaft in spaced apart relation. The shaft is supported on opposite ends, and the middle as well, to add structural support to it when product travels over the rollers.
Although conventional flow rack systems enable the transfer of product from one location to another, they suffer several shortcomings. First, because several rollers are disposed on a single shaft, the replacement of a single, worn-out or damaged roller is tedious. For example, the entire shaft must be removed to access and replace the damaged roller. This consumes man hours for the replacement, and also results in the particular rack system being decommissioned until the roller is replaced. Second, the replacement of the rollers requires the use of one or more tools to loosen the end nuts of the roller shaft. If a roller repairman is not equipped with the appropriate-sized tool, needless repair time may be wasted in finding the correct tool. Third, the shaft is prone to bending and misalignment. For example, because the shaft is supported on opposite ends and in the middle, it may bend between those supported ends under excessive loading of the rollers. Fourth, the frame of conventional systems is usually large and unwieldy, which makes it difficult to reconfigure the frame and to move the rack system.